Awareness is self evident. It indicates that contains its own proof of existence without any other need for demonstration. It is not only self evident but most obvious meaning easily recognized. At this very moment, the reader is aware. No one needs to point out to you, the reader, that you are aware. Can you deny your awareness at this very moment? Obviously, not! Then, why is it that you are in search for the most obvious and self evident? Aha! Here is something that now needs to be investigated by none other than you. Thats right. YOU are going to investigate who is it that wants to seek out awareness. There lies the answer and an end to the seeking.
Awareness has no particular shape, size, form or name. It is not something that can be grasped by the mind in the objective sense. If you are asked " Are you aware?", you answer, " yes, I am aware". If only you could stop there, the answer would be complete. But, then, you go on to answer " I am aware. I am John (or so and so)". If it would make it easier for you to understand, perhaps you could replace the word 'aware' with the word 'awake' and yet it would lead you to the same understanding. What did you do to be aware or awake? Did not awareness or wakefulness just come spontaneously? If you try to attach any attribute to awareness, all you come up with is nothing. There are no attributes that you can add to awareness when left as it is. Awareness just is. No denying of the fact that you are aware, right now and right here.
Now, you may wonder, how a "me" came into the picture. Precisely, a "me" comes and goes, and yet the awareness remains. This is evident to everyone, in the state of deep sleep there is no "me" and yet there is awareness. Every perception including perception of thoughts happens in awareness. Thoughts come and go and yet awareness remains as it is. Yet it is a strange mystery of nature, that in this awareness, the "I-thought" is somehow considered to be a real entity with substance and independence. Because, the "I-thought" is considered to be something substantial, a story is built on this "I-thought". This "I-thought" which is nothing but a transient, non-entity called "me" or "mine", wants to seek and find awareness in the world of objects and other perceptions. This "me" completely forgets wherefrom it came into the field of perception. The "me" is but a transient thought with no substance or independence by itself. Can one have thoughts without awareness? Are not thoughts by themselves an object of awareness? Amazing, isn't it?
So, self inquiry or the investigation of the self is not into awareness (which you already are), but into establishing the falseness of the "I" or the "me" or "mine". The awareness is self shining like the sun. One does not need a lamp to go out to look for sunlight. In the same way, awareness is obvious and self evident. What is needed is just an investigation into the nature of one's delusion into thinking that one is an individual entity. Rather, why not just be as you are, just the pure awareness?
